×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

New light bulb technology - any good?

New light bulb technology - any good?

New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
It seems that this bulb is available in the US now: Vu1 Lighting

I saw several reviews written by people in San Diego and a few other places. They say it is super - and doesn't cost too much.

I am sceptical. The field emission technology (without heated cathode) seemed to be a good idea many years ago. But is it still a good idea? LED lamps cost a third or less and their life is three times longer.

The Vu1 bulb has a heated cathode. Is that what makes it shine (no pun)?

Has anyone tried out the Vu1 bulb? Thoughts?

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

It's a CRT.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

"A light emitting device (100) has a cathode-ray tube (102, 104, 106, 112) and power supply (114). The cathode-ray tube in an embodiment is optimized for emitting a broad electron beam, in one variation a dome-shaped diffusing grid is used to spread the beam. In another embodiment, the device has a base (112) adapted for attachment to a standard lighting fixture."

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Crikey - the image is about twice as wide as it appeared to be during the preview.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
Thanks! The lamp seems to be rather big also!

Thanks - there's a pathetic attempt to use cold field emission to produce lamps. The company is named LightLab and some of their spokespersons say that the Vu1 (relative) succes is a good indicator that the Field Emission Lamps will work.

I am not so sure about that.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

The native resolution of the image is pretty high, so the forum software does shrink images like that; in this case, on my display, it's only about 62% of its native size

TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers


Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

One thing that might be good is dimmability. Most of the LED bulbs I have don't dim down to zero, or even can't be completely turned off. My LED Christmas lights are always dimly lit when supposedly "off." They go off only when the switch is purely mechanical; electronic switches have apparently sufficient leakage or sneak paths that can still provide sufficient power to partially light and LED. Because this bulb requires a heated cathode, an electronic switch would be sufficient to keep the cathode from heating up, and therefore will keep the emission off.

TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers


Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Gunnar,

For some time it looked like the company (Vu1) was going under, maybe they can avoid bankruptcy? I did find the R30 bulbs for sale at:
http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/r30-energy...

they apparently received UL approval for a Chinese factory, and are shipping to the US now.

I went ahead and ordered one. I'll let you know a) if the bulb gets here and b) what it's like. I'm getting tired of replacing the CFL bulbs in R30 cans in our house. Usually the ballasts in those overheat and burn out.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
Great! I tried to order a few myself. But they don't ship to Sweden. And don't think that the 120 V bulb will live long in our 230 V sockets...

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

I don't see it being viable. An LED lamp that consumes 20V will put out between 1600 and 2000 lumens, a CFL that consumes 20W puts out 1250 lumens. This one puts out 500. That's a LOT less light for the power consumption.


"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

I've been hearing they are ready to ship for the last two years. Not holding my breath on the latest news!

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Short answer to your original question, Gunnar: Nope.

R30 form bulb arrived late yesterday, put it into a recessed lighting fixture (1 of 3 in a line over the kitchen table) and turned it on (around 5:00 pm, maybe 5:30).

Compared to a tungsten bulb in adjacent fixture, it was about equal, but compared to an LED bulb in the other end of the line, it was noticeably dimmer/less luminous. FWIW, I replaced a CFL bulb that had noticeably dimmed after installing it sometime last year - I have not had good life from any CFL bulb, ever. Also, the Vu1 bulb protruded about 3/4" out of the recessed ceiling can. Also more - reading the package, there was a statement that the bulb was "not intended for fully enclosed fixures" or some such, which I think about 90% of these types of bulbs would be used in.

About 10:00 pm, the wife came upstairs and informed me that the bulb had gone out, the base of the bulb (electonics housing?) had become very hot. Checked again this morning, after letting it cool down overnight, and it is still dead. Now to see if I can get a refund...

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Sorry, should have added: the "standard", tungsten bulb was a 65 watt R30 bulb.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
I guessed so.

Thanks for the valuable information.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

I replaced a large quantity of 60W bulbs in the new house with 70W-equivalent LED versions from Ikea... they definitely meet the 70W-brightness parameter, but I'll have to wait a few more hours to see if they live up to their expected lifetime rating. 13W each, which is a huge help since pretty much every switch in the house controls anywhere from 3-15 bulbs!

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
I installed a few "60 W" IKEA bulbs almost two years ago. The one ouside the entrance door and the one in the hallway are always lit. They have demonstrated around 15 kh life so far.
The other ones are switched on/of regularly. None of my LED bulbs have failed so far.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Ditto that from here - the LED bulbs in ceiling fixtures have held up over a year with no apparent problems. For what we paid for them (~$20 each?), they need to last a loooong time, though.

One last thing about the Vu1 bulb that may me go "hunh" - there was a funny crackling sound when the bulb was switched on or off. Now, it's been a while since I've been around CRT's, so at first I thought something in the power electronics was acting up (some CFL bulbs do that too, usually right before they crap out). On closer investigation, though, it was just the crackle of static charge building up across the face of the tube when powered on (and discharging when turned off). Disconcerting at first, but not all that obnoxious...but am willing to bet that if they ever make inroads in the market, somebody will need to sell lamp dusters to the users.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

The specified luminous efficacy is consistent with what's in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy and that puts the ESL bulb at no better than about 2x the efficiency of the incandescent bulb, comparable to many incandescent bulbs.

TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers


Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

btrue, I think I paid $11/bulb a couple of months back... and that was without any sort of coupon, sale, etc. If they go on sale, I may buy a boatload more. It certainly reduces the power load, I just wish they offered dimmable versions.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
I recently bought 400 lm LED lamps at Clas Olsson (kind of boy's toys shop) at SEK 30 apiece. That is around USD 3.5 They still work. Good light quality and dimmable with a Variac. All the way down to zero. Triac and similar dimmers don't work well because of the peak rectification.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Mac,

I think our LED bulbs are the "dimmable" versions, and were likely from Costco. We are talking R30 form bulbs here? Where did you get yours?

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

R30, Edison base, etc. Standard US lightbulb base. All from Ikea. I replaced the four that were in the main living room... went from 240W down to 52W, so I'm using less power with all four bulbs than I was with just one of the original 60W incandescents. As I mentioned earlier, that's huge since just about every switch in the house turns on at least 3 bulbs. Our master bathroom has 9 bulbs above the vanities, all on one switch... to light up the room before took 540W, now it's just 117W (and that's with 70W-equivalent LEDs). I could have gone with 60W-equivalent bulbs and not changed the brightness in the room for a more paltry 90W, but I figure I'm saving so much energy I'll splurge a little and brighten things up.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Will inform the Missus about IKEA for bulbs...would not have thought to look there.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

They have 70W, 60W, and 40W versions in the Edison base. If you go down to the small base (like often used in nightlights and ceiling fans), I think it tops out at like 30W, but I didn't look at those too closely.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Thanks Mac.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

My bathroom had about 390W of tungsten lighting, now down to under 60W of LED. No failures in four years, and the colour rendering is (subjectively) better too. 5.3W across three chips, and about 5 GBP / 8 dollars each.

Tungsten lamps in the UK are getting expensive. I am idly wondering what to do with lava lights which rely on the heat of the lamp for operation. My kids have one each as night lights - they think they're aliens - and a lamp failure would cause terrible upset. hairpull2


skogs - a Clas Olsson opened in Newcastle a year or two ago but I have never been in. Is it somewhere I need to acquaint myself with?

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

(OP)
Yes Scotty, I think you could have some fun there. Lots of tools and machines. It started as a clock-maker's supplier around hundred years ago to help the grandfather-clock makers in rural Sweden and it has evolved gradually into what it is today. It is a little like German Conrad, but with (usually) more qualified personnel. I recently bought a table-top band-saw of their own brand (CoTech) and it is quite OK for my needs. Like IKEA, they usually have batteries at low prices to lure you into the shop. You had better bring SWMBO with you. You will understand why when you get there.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Scotty, can you name some brands? Or do you think most/all LED lamps will have good longevity?

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

They were a British brand called 'CEL' which might well be an in-house brand name for one of our DIY outlets.

I certainly don't think all are created equal - some have inadequate heatsinks and run noticeably hot to the touch, and some just seem to have poor driver circuitry which doesn't last. At work we're using LED panels to replace office lighting and while there's little to distinguish them in terms of light output some are quite well-made while others are really poor. There's a big cost spread though, from about 40 GBP to about 160 GBP so you get what you pay for to some extent. FWIW the CEL ones I used in an outdoor application with photocell control have all failed the same way: the LED chips are all operational, but the driver has failed and the light pulses in an almost strobe-like manner. Almost certainly one component failing each time, but at such low replacement cost it's not worth the effort of repairing them.

One of the regulars - mcgyvr2000 perhpas - does a fair bit with LEDs and will offer a better engineering insight than I can.

RE: New light bulb technology - any good?

Ideally, you want a quality LED in the unit... Phillips, Cree, etc. Chinese no-name LEDs are a complete crapshoot in terms of QA... some last a reasonable period of time, some die within a few hours, many change CRI over a much shorter time frame than expected. But in the end, the "ballast" is almost always the weak link (the caps, in particular). Until companies can make a ballast that consistently lasts as long as the LEDs being driven, the lifetime will be limited to the ballast.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources